


A Hallmark Christmas

by SeafoamSoul



Category: Professional Wrestling, World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-18
Updated: 2018-12-18
Packaged: 2019-09-22 12:19:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,580
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17059655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SeafoamSoul/pseuds/SeafoamSoul
Summary: Dean and Bo become unlikely best friends during their college years, but end up losing each other after graduation. But what’s meant to be will always find a way.





	A Hallmark Christmas

Bo has been in love with Dean since their sophomore year of college, he just never admitted it to anyone. Not to himself, and definitely not to Dean. He just hoped they would go away, that Dean was doing better than he was, that he was happy. That’s all Bo could ask for, after all, especially considering he hasn’t seen Dean in years. That is, of course, until he ran into Dean on his first day at WWE. When those blue eyes met his brown ones, Bo was stunned into silence. Suddenly, Bo was struck by the memories he had formed with Dean throughout their time at college together, his breath leaving his throat as he was taken for a trip down memory lane.

==========================================

It seemed as if the only luck Bo had in his entire life was bad luck. Here he was, stuck on campus during his Christmas break when all he wanted was to be at home. His car was in the shop, had been for a week and a half, and Bo was losing his mind. He had never missed a Christmas with his family, not once, and knowing he would have to this year was torture for him.

He was bundled up in his bed watching marathons of Hallmark Christmas movies all by himself in his dorm while his family was surely having a great time together. He was angry, upset, and couldn’t stop thinking about the red velvet cake that was always at his family’s Christmas celebrations that he’d be missing out on this year.

If he was being honest, missing out on the cake was near the top of the list on reasons he wishes he was with his family right now.

The marathon of Hallmark movies had been on his TV for about two days now, Bo not even bothering to turn it off at night knowing he’d wake up in the middle of some random couple in the middle of a sappy moment, surrounded by Christmas trees and snow. He was in the middle of watching some such moment when his phone rang, something he definitely didn’t expect to happen on Christmas Eve. He had already spoken to all of his family, breaking the news that he’d be missing the annual celebrations and wasn’t expecting to hear from them again until Christmas day.

When he realized it was the mechanic calling, Bo sat up straight, ignoring the bag of chips that fell to the ground in his excitement. His car was finally fixed. He could get it today, immediately start the drive out to his family. It would give him…”Not enough time,” he grumbled to himself, walking along the sidewalk to the mechanic. Even if he made great time on the way, he’d only be able to be home for a day or two, at most, before having to turn right back around. It wasn’t worth it and he knew it. With a sigh, after thanking the mechanics for fixing his car, he started the trek back to his dorm.

Bo was still stuck in his own head, wishing that Christmas this year was different, a stark contrast to what he was going to be stuck with. As he opened the door to his residence hall, he realized his wish was coming true. It just wasn’t the way he wanted it to.

There was a man with his back against the door to Bo’s dorm, eyes closed and head back. His dirty blonde curls were messily covering his face, his leather jacket askew on his body. Bo wasn’t sure he was even alive until the man grumbled under his breath, obviously asleep.

“Um, excuse me?” Bo spoke up, carefully prodding the man with his shoe. “Hello?”

The man startled awake, his hair falling to cover his face even more. “Where am I?”

“Branford Hall.” Bo’s answer came quick, his eyes trained on the bleary blue eyes looking up at him. “In front of my room.”

“Fuck,” the man sighed, rubbing his hands across his face. It was silent for a moment, his hands covering his face, before he finally dropped them to his side and stood up. “The name’s Dean.”

“Bo,” Bo replied, holding his hand out to shake Dean’s hand. Bo ended up having to steady Dean instead, catching him by the shoulders as he wobbled on his feet. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Dean insisted, waving Bo off. Bo stepped back for a moment as Dean attempted to take a step, instead falling right back into Bo. “On second thought,” Dean sighed, “I might be a little drunker than I thought.”

Dean was clinging to Bo, his arms wrapped around Bo like a vise. Bo wasn’t against it, not really, not with the way Dean’s blue eyes were boring into his own. “Why don’t you come into my room until you sober up a bit?”

“Are you trying to get into my pants?”

Bo’s face lit up bright red. He’d only known Dean for less than five minutes. He didn’t even technically know him, not really, but here he was, a blushing fool. “Of course not,” Bo sputtered, maneuvering Dean to lean against the wall while he found the key to his room. He cursed under his breath, his hands shaking so hard he couldn’t find his key.

Dean might have muttered, “‘S a shame,” under his breath, but Bo chose to ignore it, instead ushering Dean into his room and to the futon in front of the TV.

“Sit down, I think I have some Pedialyte in my fridge,” Bo said, helping Dean fall onto the futon. Before he turned away, he watched Dean flop around, trying to get comfortable. With a sigh and a shake of his head, Bo turned his attention to finding the half full bottle of Pedialyte in his mess of a fridge.

“‘S not grape, is it?” Dean called from his sprawling position on the futon. “I hate grape.”

“It’s blue raspberry,” Bo answered quickly, pouring some into a small plastic cup and bringing it to Dean. “Have you eaten anything?” Bo watched as Dean drank the entire cup, stopping only to answer him with a shake of his head.

Bo went back to his fridge, trying to find something to give the stranger on his futon to eat. His Christmas was turning out to be quite eventful, he realized, even if he was missing out on the red velvet cake. He was going to hold onto that bitterness for a long time, at least until next year. With a shake of his head, Bo pulled himself out of his thoughts and found a box of Bagel Bites in his freezer.

When he turned to see Dean, he realized that the man had gotten up and walked over to his desk, staring at the bowl of mini candy canes.

“Dean, what are you doing?”

“Bet I could fit a shit ton of these little guys in my mouth,” Dean slurred, reaching for the bowl.

“Don’t!” Bo half-screeched, the only image in his head that of Dean drunkenly choking on the handful of candy canes he had pulled out of the bowl. “I have Bagel Bites, don’t they sound better?” Bo breathed a sigh of relief as Dean nodded, allowing Bo to ease the candy canes out of his hand and back into the bowl, moving the bowl out of reach.

Moments later, Bo returned with a plate full of Bagel Bites and a bottle of water, placing both in front of Dean. “We gotta leave some of these out for Santa later,” Dean told Bo as Bo sat next to him, his own plate of Bagel Bites on his lap. “And some Pedialyte. Old man might be drinking some eggnog along the way, you think?”

Dean was looking so intently at Bo, obviously serious about his request, the glow from whatever sappy movie that was on TV illuminating his face, and Bo couldn’t contain his smile. “Sure, I think Santa will appreciate it.” Dean beamed in Bo’s direction, dimples out in full force, and Bo could have sworn in that moment he knew exactly what being in love felt like.

=========================

Hours later, after Bo and Dean had set up a plate of Bagel Bites and a cup of Pedialyte on Bo’s bedside table (Dean’s muttered, “Why don’t they ever give us fuckin fireplaces it makes it so hard on Santa!” went ignored by Bo), the two men were once again on Bo’s futon, entranced in the movie on TV.

“These movies are the best,” Bo sighed wistfully, small smile playing on his lips as he curled up tighter into his blanket.

“Aren’t they all practically the same?” Dean spoke around the candy cane in his mouth, one Bo felt would be safe to eat, especially since Dean had very obviously sobered up.

“Not all,” Bo defended weakly, blush creeping up his cheeks. “Sometimes they do different things.”

“Bit of a hopeless romantic, huh?” The knowing smile on Dean’s face was on this side of annoying, the dimples the only thing keeping it in “cute” territory.

“Shut up,” Bo laughed, throwing another candy cane at Dean. The two of them quieted down for a bit before Bo spoke up again. “Dean? Why are you here instead of celebrating with your family?” The mirth in Dean’s eyes immediately lessened, his whole body tensing. “I’m sorry, you don’t have to-”

“I don’t have that much of a family, let’s put it that way,” Dean muttered, cutting off Bo’s hurried apology. “Easier to hang out here. What about you? Why isn’t a hopeless romantic like yourself not eating this holiday shit up with your family?”

“Oh, well. My car was in the shop until earlier this afternoon. It was too late to go home, so here I am,” Bo replied, eyes carefully watching as Dean unwrapped his new candy cane with a bit of unnecessary force.

It was eerily quiet for a moment as Dean popped the candy cane in his mouth before he smiled again, turning to Bo. “It’s a good thing I found you then.” At Bo’s questioning look, he continued. “You didn’t even have anything left out for Santa!”

Bo couldn’t do anything but laugh in response, reaching for his own candy cane before focusing back on the movie on TV. He was acutely aware of Dean next to him, curled up in his own blanket, and realized that maybe being stuck in his dorm room this Christmas wasn’t that bad, after all. Not with a man like Dean with him.

============================

After Christmas, Bo and Dean became fast friends. They hung out with each other at every possible moment, Bo dragging Dean along with him on his trips back home over the summer. Their junior year, they got an apartment together, opting to live with each other than playing roulette with the other students on their campus to see who would be matched up with who.

“It’s just easier if I know I’m not gonna hate the person I’m living with,” Dean explained simply as he filled out the paperwork. Bo nodded, excitedly filling out his own, ready for the opportunity to spend more time with Dean.

For Christmas during their junior, and then senior, years, Bo took Dean back home with him. He wanted Dean to experience the big family holidays he’d always experienced. His family loved Dean just like they knew he would. Bo caught himself beaming in Dean’s direction every time he got stuck in a new conversation with another one of Bo’s family members. Dean handled it all in stride, getting along with anyone that crossed his path.

Of course, the two of them maintained their traditions started on Christmas Eve their sophomore year. Together, they prepared a plate of Bagel Bites and a cup of Pedialyte, arranging them next to the more normal cookies and milk by the fireplace. And then it’d be Hallmark movie marathon time, with each of them curling up in their respective blankets on the couch. More often than not, the two woke up the next morning pressed against each other, arms and legs tangled together.

Somewhere along the way, Bo had fallen in love with Dean. He wasn’t sure how he was hiding it, or if he even was, but if Dean knew how he felt then he was good at keeping it under wraps. Dean hadn’t made any advances and Bo didn’t want to ruin their friendship, so he kept quiet, opting instead to treasure the times he had with Dean.

It turns out that’s all Bo could do, as he found out after graduation. He and Dean promised to keep in touch, not to let them forget each other. And then they went their separate ways, Bo back to his hometown and Dean off to travel in an attempt to find himself, he said. Bo couldn’t help but to hope that Dean found himself right next to him, snuggled up next to each other on the couch at his house, but after a few years and lost contact, he was sure it wasn’t going to happen. Dean had forgotten him, left him behind. All Bo had were the memories.

========================

Now, though, those memories were brought to life by the man in front of him. His hair was a little shaggier, he was in better shape, but it was unmistakably Dean. Bo felt his stomach do little flips as the two men stared at each other, Bo’s heart ready to rip out of his chest.

“Bo?” Dean spoke first, taking a tentative step in Bo’s direction as if he was afraid he’d scare him off.

“Dean,” Bo nodded, mouth dry as they stepped closer to each other. And then Dean was tackling him in a hug, ruffling the hair he had so carefully put in a bun before coming to the arena tonight. He was set to start his career as a wrestler in the WWE, something he had never really thought about before. When he was in college, he thought he would settle down with a “normal” career, but there was something about wrestling that just drew him in, and now here he was instead. Dean had never spoken about becoming a wrestler in college, either, not that Bo remembered, so seeing him here was an obvious surprise.

“I haven’t seen you in forever! What’s it been, four years?” Dean asked, smiling hard enough that his dimples could be visible from space, Bo was sure.

“Six, but who’s counting,” Bo immediately corrected, unable to keep the edge from his voice. When Dean’s face started to fall, Bo was quick to follow up. “But I’m glad I get to see you now. We have a lot of catching up to do.”

“I’ll come find you after the show, we can talk then,” Dean promised before walking away, leaving Bo behind.

It felt so much like graduation, Bo standing still while Dean walked away from him, one last look over his shoulder all he offered. Now, though, at least Bo knew he’d at least see Dean later. He couldn’t really escape him, since they worked for the same company. Of course, for Bo that just meant he would see the object of his affections every single day. Bo thought he was over it, left his feelings for Dean in the past. Now, though, with his heart pounding and his face flushed, Bo knew he wasn’t over Dean, not in the least.

Hours later, Dean appeared next to Bo, obviously happy after their first successful WWE outing. “Your match was great,” he said, leading Bo to the parking lot.

“So was yours. I had no idea you wanted to be a wrestler,” Bo replied, immediately trying to understand what led Dean here.

“I didn’t know I wanted to be one, not until pretty recently. But people seemed to like my work, and here I am,” Dean shrugged, motioning for Bo to place his bags in his trunk. “It’s only our first show and I know I love it here. Especially since you’re here, too.” The look on Dean’s face, pure happiness, made Bo’s breath catch in his throat.

“Yeah, I really missed you. It’s weird spending so much of your time with a person and then suddenly…not,” Bo acknowledged, hoping he didn’t sound accusatory. He just wanted, no, needed, to know what happened. Not knowing was driving him crazy.

“I know, I’m sorry. I thought you had your shit together, though, and I was out just floating through life. I had no plans, and I was sure you were already successful at that point. I didn’t wanna pull you down with me.” At that point, Dean had finally parked the car outside some run-down diner.

“I wasn’t doing anything back then, and I definitely didn’t have my shit together,” Bo laughed, holding the door open for Dean. “I wish things had been that easy.”

“Yeah, you’re telling me. Nobody told me it was gonna be that damn hard, though. At least now we can both suffer together. Going throughout this life without friends is…Lonelier than you think,” Dean sighed, leading Bo to a booth.

Friends. If that’s all Bo could get, he’d be happy. Just friends. He’d just have to shove those feelings down deeper than he had already. If Dean just saw him as a friend, then he’d take what he could get.

=========================

For the rest of the year, the two of them spent their time rebuilding their friendship, quickly getting back to the same level they were at before they graduated college all those years ago. They rode to shows together, roomed together, practically lived together. As Christmas got closer, Bo could only hope they would uphold their tradition, one he had kept going by himself for the six years he was without his best friend, the man he loved.

And boy, did Bo love Dean. He thought he could keep his feelings under wraps, ignore them even. However, that was proving to be more difficult than he expected, especially when Dean busted through his apartment door, huge smile on his face on Christmas Eve.

“I got the Bagel Bites! And that fancy blue raspberry Pedialyte. Oh, and some mini candy canes. I’m still convinced I could fit a bunch of these little shits in my mouth at once.” He was rambling, but Bo loved it. Watching Dean get so excited for Christmas was one of his favorite things in the world.

“Is it okay that I started the Hallmark movie marathon early?” Bo called over the rustle of bags as Dean put everything in the kitchen.

Dean snorted, already with a candy cane in his mouth as he plopped onto the couch next to Bo. “Why am I not surprised.”

Bo just rolled his eyes, grabbing a candy cane from the pack in Dean’s hand, turning his attention back to the TV.

Bo wasn’t sure when he fell asleep, but he was acutely aware of the fact that Dean had his arms wrapped around him, securing him to his side. They had ended up lying down on the couch, Dean keeping Bo from falling off the couch. It was obviously the middle of the night, and at some point Dean had set up the Bagel Bites and Pedialyte. Which could mean they were in this position on purpose.

Bo felt giddy at the thought, then immediately guilty. He had worked so hard over the past year to keep his feelings at bay, not wanting to cross any lines with Dean. Yet here he was, relishing in the fact that Dean was holding him.

With a shake of his head, Bo tried to maneuver his way out of Dean’s grip and off the couch. He almost made it, his two feet touching the floor, when Dean woke up, sitting up straight. “What’s going on?”

His bleary eyes and sleep-heavy voice broke all of Bo’s resolve as he slouched down with his head in his hands. With a sigh, he lifted his head and let it all out. “I love you, I have since sophomore year, but I know you don’t feel the same way and I don’t wanna ruin our friendship and the fact that we finally found each other again. I don’t want you to hate me. It’s okay if you don’t love me back, even, I’ll be fine but I just….Need you to know.”

It was quiet, eerily still in the living room while the words hung between them. Bo was sure Dean was going to get up and leave and that would be that, the last time Bo ever got to see him.

Instead, Dean was on Bo in mere seconds, his lips pressing harshly against Bo’s. Bo was taken aback, not at all expecting this response, or a favorable one at all, but was quick to reciprocate the kiss, hands falling to Dean’s (impossibly tiny) waist.

“I’ve wanted to tell you how I felt about you since that year, too,” Dean muttered, voice deep and gravelly. Bo couldn’t help the smile that took over his face upon hearing that, a smile that Dean quickly responded to in kind.

Then they were kissing again, too many years of pent up feelings and nerves coming to the surface. Bo could feel his face flushing red hot, the kisses growing deeper and deeper and he felt like this was a blessing rather than just a Christmas gift. Before Bo knew it, Dean was maneuvering him to lay back against the cushions, one of Dean’s legs between his own. Bo keened, grinding slowly against Dean’s leg as his lips moved down Bo’s neck, nipping and sucking on the delicate skin there, making Bo arch up into Dean’s touch. He definitely didn’t expect for this to happen tonight, or ever for that matter, but he wasn’t complaining.

Bo’s hands were under Dean’s shirt, rucking the fabric up as Dean hit just the right spot on his neck that had Bo a moaning mess underneath him. “Dean,” Bo whined, tugging at the shirt impatiently until Dean sat up to take it off, wrestling Bo’s off of him right after.

“Tell me when you need me to stop,” Dean said, pressing another harsh kiss to his lips before moving, trailing his mouth and fingers down Bo’s body. He left hot, open mouthed kisses down Bo’s torso as he went, fingers digging into Bo’s hipbones. The sounds Bo was making, whining incessantly, fingers tangled in Dean’s hair, Dean knew he would never get tired of them. As he mouthed over the bulge barely hidden by Bo’s jeans, his hands settled on the fastenings, pausing for just a moment.

“Bo, can I-” Dean sat up to ask, laughing as Bo pulled his face towards his own, kissing him desperately, teeth and tongues clashing.

“Please,” Bo whined, arching his hips up to Dean’s hands, fingers scraping down Dean’s chest, head thrown back in pleasure while Dean’s mouth settled on his neck once again. When Dean finally wrapped his hand around Bo’s length, moving painfully slowly, he cried out, watching as Dean traveled down his body once again.

“Merry Christmas, baby.” The smile on Dean’s face served as a sharp contrast to his gravelly voice, but Bo didn’t have much time to contemplate this as Dean closed his mouth around the head of his dick.

If Bo died right now, Dean’s warm mouth encasing his length, he’d be okay with it. It was all he had ever dreamed of back in college, and those lonely nights when he was sure Dean was lost for good. Back then, Bo felt awful about thinking about things like this, how it would feel to have Dean on top of him, his mouth all over every inch of Bo’s skin. He always felt so ashamed to have such intense feelings for Dean, feelings he was sure weren’t reciprocated. Now, though, with Dean’s hand stroking his length and his tongue swirling around the head of his dick, well….Bo didn’t feel so bad.

Actually, he felt pretty damn good.

Bo arched his hips up into Dean’s touch, just barely, trying to get Dean to move faster. This slow pace Dean set was torturous. Bo had waited so long to get Dean like this, to admit he had feelings for him, that he wasn’t sure he would make it through a slow encounter.

For what it’s worth, Dean seemed to catch on very quickly, encouraging Bo to move his hips faster, opening his mouth wider to accommodate Bo’s movements. Bo’s fingers tangled in Dean’s hair, flush starting in his chest as he thrust into Dean’s mouth, his hands stroking his length in time with his thrusts.

All too soon, Bo felt the familiar pressure building up in his stomach and he whined, Dean’s tongue still swirling around his length. Bo couldn’t quite form words, instead tightening his hands in Dean’s hair and moaning louder than he ever had before. Dean moved his mouth even faster, and then Bo was coming, crying out Dean’s name.

Dean took his time moving back up Bo’s body, pressing kisses all over his chest until he reached his face. Bo cupped his cheeks, pulling Dean into him to give him a proper kiss, tongues tangling together harshly. And then one of his hands was gone, instead intent on unbuttoning Dean’s pants, sliding his hand into his underwear.

“Fuck,” Dean groaned, pressing his face into Bo’s neck as his hand tightened around his dick. “You don’t know how many times I thought about this back in college, in our lost years after that.”

“Oh, I can imagine,” Bo laughed, thumb swiping over the bead of precum on the head of Dean’s length, his hand moving faster. “I thought about it all the time.”

“And then this past year,” Dean bit into Bo’s neck, running his tongue over the same spot right after. “I thought about it even more.”

Bo shuddered at the low register of Dean’s voice, his hand moving even faster against his length. He couldn’t say anything, didn’t trust his own voice in the moment, just nudged Dean’s face back up to his. He couldn’t get enough of Dean’s kisses, rough and warm and so full of want that Bo was convinced he was the luckiest man in the world.

Dean’s hips thrusted into Bo’s grip, faster and faster until he groaned into Bo’s mouth, coming all over Bo’s hand. With one last, deep kiss, Dean sat up, staring down at the mess the two made on the couch, the glow of whatever sappy movie playing on the Hallmark movie the only thing illuminating the two of them.

In the low light, he saw Bo’s face still as flushed as ever as he shyly brought his fingers up to his mouth, licking them clean.

“Fuck, Bo,” Dean groaned, standing up and pulling Bo with him. “I’m taking your ass to bed.”

“What about the Hallmark movies?” Bo pouted, pointing back at the TV. It was useless, though, with Dean tugging him down the hallway to Bo’s bedroom.

“That shit will be on all day. We’re going to bed.”

Somehow, Bo knew they weren’t going to bed to sleep, but he was more than okay with that. After all, it was Christmas, the best one he’d ever had in his life. They could sleep in if they wanted.


End file.
